Re: C-Section Moms- receovery question(s)

I have only had a Csection.

The first day was God awful, but not bc of the pain, bc of the pain MEDS they were giving made me so loopy and nauseous. I felt so incredibly OUT of it, that it made me feel very anxious. I remember crying to my husband "am i always going to feellll likeeee thisss" (in between the room spinning and me vomitting)I am scheduled to give birth again soon (eek) and while I pray i can go natural, if i have to have a section, I will make it clear that I only want vicodin for the first day only, after that i will take motrin .

By the second day (when meds wore off) i was A little sore, but nothing crazy. I showered in the AM and got dressed.

Bleed for almost 3 weeks, but 2 weeks were light. (think 4th day of your period light)

I drove less than 10 days later (my kids were in NICU and i had to)

By day 3 i was REALLY ready to go home but begged to stay another day bc my kids had to stay there.

My scar is practically NON existent. and its been less than 2 years.

Honestly, if I didn't want to expeience a natural birth so bad (this will be my last baby) i would have no issues with having a repeat section. I have had back aches that have been worse.

GL !!!!

Re: C-Section Moms- receovery question(s)

I was able to shower on the second day. I felt like a human again, lol. I really didnt need pain meds. I did take motrin once or twice on day 2 because of pain in my shoulders ( due to gas build up according to my dr.) but that was it. I didnt need anything else. I breastfed, so I was glad i didnt need extra pain meds, but I was told if i took stronger stuff it "shouldnt" affect breastfeeding. I beleive I drove at 3 weeks or so, cant remember exactly, but it definitely was not 6 weeks. I lived in an apt., so i didnt haveto navigate stairs. For 8 weeks after my c section, I wore granny panties and loose sweat pants to avoid anything rubbing on my incision.

Re: C-Section Moms- receovery question(s)

how soon after can i shower?

I showered in the hospital.

is the bleeding the same as vag delivery?

Don't have anything to compare it to, but I bled heavily for the first week/week and a half

can i do stairs when i get home?
Don't know, didn't do stairs for a couple of weeks.

s there any way to recover with NO pain medication? perhaps just advil?

I didn't have anything aside from motrin when I left the hospital. They did not give me any prescription to take home (not sure what the norm is). I took whatever they gave me in the hospital.


if your breastfeeding, can you still take the pain meds?

Yes - they will tell you.


did you drive before the 6 weeks was up?

I drove at 2 weeks which was when o/b gave clearance.


are pants/underwear uncofortable?

just make sure they go over the incision area

Also, I had an unplanned c/s.

Re: C-Section Moms- receovery question(s)

-how soon after can i shower?
I showed the day after surgery.
-is the bleeding the same as vag delivery?
Mine was much lighter compared to my vag delivery.
-can i do stairs when i get home?
The dr says no stairs for a week, but I did, just had to take it easy and not carry anything.
-is there any way to recover with NO pain
medication? perhaps just advil?
I really didn't have much pain from the surgery. I think I took a pain reliever once. The most discomfort was from anesthesia medication.
- if your breastfeeding, can you still take the pain meds?
They give you safe meds.
-did you drive before the 6 weeks was up?
Yes
-are pants/underwear uncofortable?
loose undies and soft pants for 2 wks after were most comfy for me.

Re: C-Section Moms- receovery question(s)

i had a c section on monday, i was allowed to shower thurs morning

i cannot compare but i bled for about 10 days

they said no stairs but i was able to go slow,i would not go up and down all day

i am sure u can,i only had pain meds one day,the next day after i got up and walked around i was in pain,that night i asked for a percocet

idk about bf

i wore granny panties for 2 weeks after then was back in reg undies

yesterday i had jeans on first time,6 weeks pp and was ok

Re: C-Section Moms- receovery question(s)

Had an emergency c-section 2 weeks ago. While I'm still feeling pain, the recovery hasn't been as bad as I expected.

My surgery was Friday morning, and I showered on Sunday.

Bleeding was heavy while in the hospital, but has been tapering off. I'm still wearing a pad, but it's pretty light at this point.

I was in a decent amount of pain the first week. In the hospital I had a morphine drip for the first 24 hours, and then took Percocet + motrin for the next 4 days. After leaving the hospital, I was on Vicodin + Motrin for a week and then switched to just Motrin. I was able to breast feed on the Percocet and Vicodin.

I live in a one floor apt in the city, so didn't have to worry about stairs or driving.

I took a ton of the mesh undies home from the hospital, so have been wearing those as they don't lie on the incision. I've also been living in leggings and yoga pants.

Good luck!

Re: C-Section Moms- receovery question(s)

-how soon after can i shower? I showered 24 hours after C Section and felt so much better after it.
-is the bleeding the same as vag delivery? Only had section
-can i do stairs when i get home? Not supposed to. I had to go up stairs but as someone else said i didnt leave the apartment for 4 days after that. My choice not because of pain but i just wanted to give myself time to recover.
-is there any way to recover with NO pain medication? perhaps just advil? I only took motron when i needed it. In the hospital i took it maybe 2 times a day. Got out after 3 days and i think i only took it once after that. I felt like the stronger medication would give me a false sense of strength and i would feel worse once it wore off.
- if your breastfeeding, can you still take the pain meds? Didnt breastfeed.
-did you drive before the 6 weeks was up? i drove after 1 week. We were out walking shopping etc 10 days after C Section with nearly no pain.
-are pants/underwear uncofortable? I just wore loose pants for the 1st week due to swelling then my regular Jeans after that.

Good Luck though with having 4 kids. That was all with just the baby. I am due #2 in May and hoping i dont need a c section as i dont know what i would do if i cant lift DS.

Re: C-Section Moms- receovery question(s)

-how soon after can i shower?
-I was able to shower in the hospital. I waited until the 2nd day because I was so sore/exhausted.

-is the bleeding the same as vag delivery?
-Yes, it was for me.

-can i do stairs when i get home?
-You CAN, but should try to avoid. It's not easy.

-is there any way to recover with NO pain medication? perhaps just advil?
-I had a really difficult time with my recovery. I was in alot of pain and was on the heavy duty stuff for at least a full week before I could switch to advil.

- if your breastfeeding, can you still take the pain meds?
-I didn't BF so can't answer this one.

-did you drive before the 6 weeks was up?
-I believe I drove after about 2 weeks...

-are pants/underwear uncofortable?
-I lived in my drawstring pj pants and giant granny undies for a good 2 weeks.

Re: C-Section Moms- receovery question(s)

how soon after can i shower?
I showered in the hospital probably about 2 days after the c-section.

is the bleeding the same as vag delivery?
I've only had a c-section, but I don't remember the bleeding to be bad at all.

can i do stairs when i get home?
I live on the second floor and I was able to do stairs, but very slowly and I minimized how much I had to use them. So, once I was up or down, I was going to stay there for a while.

Is there any way to recover with NO pain medication? perhaps just advil?
Yes! I did not take pain medication immediately after and was up and about. However, if needed, I simply took Motrin and I was fine.


If your breastfeeding, can you still take the pain meds?
Yes. They will go over this with you.


Did you drive before the 6 weeks was up?
Yes. My OB said that I could start driving once I could comfortably put pressure on my feet to push the gas and brake without pain. I was driving in 2 weeks.

Are pants/underwear uncofortable?
As long as your pants and underwear do not sit directly on the incision, it is fine. The best thing my mom did was go out and buy girdle type underwear for support. This kept everything in and helped with the healing (she had c-sections prior also) and were comfortable. For the first 2 weeks, I also opted to wear yoga pants or anything loose-fitting with an elastic waist that wasn't too tight.

Re: C-Section Moms- receovery question(s)

-how soon after can i shower?
I was told 2 days after, but you cannot get your incision wet.

-is the bleeding the same as vag delivery?
I never had vag delivery so I cant answer this question

-can i do stairs when i get home?
I was able to do stairs, not too many, I tried not to go up and down unless it was necessary. It hurt a little going up, so if you need to take it REALLY slow.

-is there any way to recover with NO pain medication? perhaps just advil?
At first I only took Motrin at the hospital but the pain was pretty bad because of the walking I was doing to the NICU (which was on the other side of the wing) so I took the prescription meds they gave me. When I went home I took extra strength Tylenol.

- if your breastfeeding, can you still take the pain meds?

Yes it is safe.

-did you drive before the 6 weeks was up?

My husband drove me around so I can't answer this question.

-are pants/underwear uncofortable?

If it hit my incision yes. invest in granny panties or disposable depends your first couple of days.

One thing I will tell you is to take it really easy. a C-section takes time to heal and you cannot rush it. It will just cause you a lot more pain and a longer recovery. If you can get help the first week you're home take it. When you sneeze or cough, make sure you bend down or take a pillow and hug it. GL!!!

Re: C-Section Moms- receovery question(s)

I had 2 c-sections--never delivered vaginally, so I can't compare, but based on my experience...

-how soon after can i shower?
I showered in the hospital on the 2nd day of my 4 day stay
-is the bleeding the same as vag delivery?
no clue, but I did bleed for 4 weeks following the 1st and 5 weeks following the 2nd

-can i do stairs when i get home?
stairs were killer, but for me there was no avoiding them--they are everywhere in my house. Stairs were not as difficult as bending down (to pick something up, tie shoes, etc)
-is there any way to recover with NO pain medication? perhaps just advil?
I only took percoset 1x in the hospital. Aside from that, Motrin was part of my daily routine for a good 4 weeks. Sometimes I would alternate Motrin and Tylenol so that I could take it more frequently during the day.
- if your breastfeeding, can you still take the pain meds?
I ff
-did you drive before the 6 weeks was up?
I drove after 2 weeks--I physically couldn't before that point
-are pants/underwear uncofortable?
YES! I couldn't wear anything other than maternity leggings for weeks, and underwear killed me--take the disposable ones from the hospital home--take lots of them...that's all I could wear for the first week. Anything that touches the incision was unbearable--but the 2nd time around the docs used the same incision as the 1st and I have heard that the recovery is slower as a result.

GL and best wishes!

Re: C-Section Moms- receovery question(s)

-how soon after can i shower?

I had my c-section at 10 pm and i showered the next evening.

-is the bleeding the same as vag delivery?

Don't know

-can i do stairs when i get home?

I live in a townhouse with bedrooms upstairs. I was able to go up and down no problem right from when I got home. Just took it slow.

-is there any way to recover with NO pain medication? perhaps just advil?

All I took was Motrin and I was totally fine. I can;t take any other types of pain meds bc they make me sick but after a few days I stopped even the motrin.

- if your breastfeeding, can you still take the pain meds?
Yes, I took Motirn and had to be on antibiotics and still EBF.

-did you drive before the 6 weeks was up?

I was able to drive after 2 weeks.

-are pants/underwear uncofortable?

I wore granny panties and alot of yoga pants in the beginning.

Honestly I didn't find the c-section to be too bad or painful. Yes you will be a little sore but its nothing you can't handle. The worst part was all the gas lol.

Re: C-Section Moms- receovery question(s)

-how soon after can i shower? - I showered the 2nd day I was in the hospital

-is the bleeding the same as vag delivery? I think it's way less, my roommate had a vag and I gave her all my hospital pads to take home because I didn't need them

-can i do stairs when i get home? I did, but I was active prior to birth - played a lot of sports, etc. Just don't go bouncing up them, take it easy and you'll be fine.

-is there any way to recover with NO pain medication? perhaps just advil? Definitely

- if your breastfeeding, can you still take the pain meds? Docs say you can, but if you're iffy about it - don't take the meds

-did you drive before the 6 weeks was up?
NO, but I definitely could have. I didn't want to irritate the healing process by unneccessarily tugging on the scar/my midsection by coming on and off the gas and brake pedal.

-are pants/underwear uncofortable? I was comfortable in high waist underwear and yoga/sweatpants. I wouldn't have worn jeans.


I personally didn't think it was bad at all.

Re: C-Section Moms- receovery question(s)

Message edited 1/8/2013 10:24:11 AM.